Dispensing apparatus for pre-mixed beverages



April 13, 1965 F. WELTY ETAL 3,178,062

DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR FEE-MIXED BEVERAGES Filed April 26, 1960 4Sheets-Sheet 1 mm c. Q,

FRANK WELTY RAYMUND WELTY J BY W ATTORNEY A ril 13, 1965 F. WELTY ETALDISPENSING APPARATUS FOR FEE-MIXED BEVERAGES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledApril 26. 1960 MQE 6. mm 5 O w E m mv Om :4 K\ L 0 hm 3 1 1|; mm mm N KN5 mm #0 OO QN NO- mm mm INVENTORS FRANK WELTY RAYMOND WELTY BY? ATT NEYA ril 13, 1965 F. WELTY ETAL 3,178,062

DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR FEE-MIXED BEVERAGES Filed April 26, 1960 4Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 6

FIG. 5

INVENTORS FRANK WELTY RAYMOND WELTY W ATTO NEY FIG. 4

April 1965 F. WELTY ETAL 3,178,062

DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PRE-MIXED BEVERAGES Filed April 26, 1960 4Sheets-Sheet 4 I I I I I ,I I I I I I I I 09 O INVENTORS (I) FRANK WELTYRAYMOND WELTY II ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,178,662 DESPENSINGAPPARATUS FOR PRE-MlXED BEVERAGES Frank Welty, 4962 Lockwood Blvd, andRaymond B. Welty, 430 Lake Road, both of Youngstown, Ohio Filed Apr. 26,1960, Ser. N 24,833 Claims. (31. 222-95) The present invention relatesgenerally to the dispensing art and more particularly to the provisionof improved apparatus for dispensing pre-mixed beverages.

In accordance with prior art practice it is well known to package apro-mixed beverage, such as beer or a carbonated fruit drink, forexample, in a wooden or metal keg or other suitable dispensingcontainer. Such a container is shipped to the point of use and isconnected into a dispensin system which usually comprises a dispensingfaucet and a source of expellant for discharging the beverage throughthe dispensing faucet. The use of kegs or other suitable containersfilled with a pre-mixed beverage has been limited to installations-suchas taverns, for examplewhere the beverage is consumed in a relativelyshort time. This is due to the very substantial problem of maintainingthe beverage fresh and platable for any appreciable time after containerhas been tapped or otherwise opened. Also, the dispensingsystem-comprising the source of pressurized expellant and the dispensingfaucethas been quite expensive and completely unadapted for othermarkets, such as home use. For the home market the beverages are usuallypackaged in bottles which are sold in cases or cartons throughdistributors to the ultimate consumers. The bottling of the beverages isrelatively expensive and thus, bottled beverages cost appreciably morethan beverages packaged in bulk con tainers.

With the development and use of a thin collapsible bag in a bulkcontainer it is possible to separate the pressurized expellant from thebeverage whereby the beverage is maintained in a fresh and palatablecondition at all times. The expellant may be packaged in the bulkcontainer along with the beveragebeing separated from the beverage bythe collapsible bag. This arrangement is disclosed and claimed in ourco-pending patent application Serial No. 786,422, filed January 12,1959, entitled Method and Apparatus for Packaging and DispensingBeverages or the Like, which is assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention and is made of record for those desiring a more detaileddescription of the same.

It is the primary or ultimate object of the present invention to providedispensing apparatus for pre-mixed beverages which, while not beinglimited thereto, is especially adapted for supplying beverages to thehome market. The dispensing apparatus of the present invention comprisesa container holding a relatively large amount of the beverage and arequired amount of the expellant along with a dispensing faucet. Thearrangement is such that the dispensing apparatus is self-contained andready for immediate use but yet the beverage is always maintained in afresh and palatable condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide dispensingapparatus for pro-mixed beverages which comprises a suitable containerhaving loclringly mounted thereon an improved closure cap which carriesa dis pensing faucet. The arrangement is such that when the closure capis removed the interior of the container is exposed while thecollapsible bag may be readily removed and the dispensing faucet can beeasily cleaned.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide dispensing apparatusof the type above set forth that embodies means to very effectivelyprotect the dispensing faucet, to facilitate handling of the dispensingapparatus and to permit stacking thereof. This means comprises addldfidz l atented Apr. id, 1965 ice chime ring that is mounted on thecover cap and completely protects the dispensing faucet from damage dueto rough handling of the apparatus, etc.

Still another object of the invention is to provide dispensing apparatusfor pre-mixed beverages employing highly improved and simplified meansfor charging the container with the eXpellant and/or exhausting theeXpellant from the dispensing container. An expellant filling and reliefvalve is mounted on the closure cap adjacent the dispensing faucet forthis purpose and is protected by the chime ring.

A further object of the invention is to provide dispensing apparatus ofthe type above described which includes improved means for filling thecontainer with the beverage to be dispensed. The beverage is pumped intothe flexible and collapsible bag in the container through the dispensingfaucet and a highly improved and simplified beverage bypass valve isemployed. The beverage bypass valve allows the beverage to bypass therestriction means and to enter the collapsible valve at a high rate offlow.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for fillingsuch dispensing containers. This apparatus comprises a positivedisplacement piston type pump Whereby each stroke of the piston thereofrepresents a predetermined quantity of the beverage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide dispensingapparatus for pre-mixed beverage having the characteristics abovedescribed which may be manufactured and used with a minimum of expense.

The above, as well as other objects and advantages, will become morereadily apparent upon consideration of the following specification andclaims wherein there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side sectional view showing dispensingapparatus for pro-mixed beverages constructed in accordance with theteachings of our invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the closure cap employed in theapparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side sectional view of the closure cap of FIGURE 2 takenalong the section lines TIL-III;

FIGURE 4 is a side sectional view taken along the section line IVIV ofFIGURE 2 showing the construction of the expellant filling and reliefvalve;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary front view of the dispensing container shownin FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side view, partially in section, of thedispensing container; and

FIGURE 7 is an end view of dispensing apparatus of the present inventionembodying an ice chamber and depicting means for filling the dispensingcontainer with a beverage.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference numeral 10 designates adispensing container which is generally cylindrical and terminates atits forward extremity in an outwardly extending mouth portion ll ofreduced diameter. The dispensing container ill is preferably formed fromaluminum or other suitable light weight metal and is fluid tight withthe exception of a large opening defined by the mouth portion. Ri-gidlyattached to and received in nesting relation over the forward edge ofthe mouth portion 11 of the dispensing container is a locking ring 14that is preferably cast or otherwise formed from a lightweight andstrong metal.

The outer peripheral surface of the locking ring 14 is provided withthree radially projecting and circumferentially spaced segmental lockingflanges 16. The locking flanges 16 each comprise a generallycircumferentially extending portion 17, a steeply inclined portion 18,an elongated sloping portion 19 which is disposed in a planesubstantially oflset from the plane of the portion 17 and a stop portion20. The various portions 17-2tl of the locking flanges 16 define, ineffect, cam means for locking a closure cap 21 to the dispensingcontainer as will be hereinafter more fully apparent. It will be notedthat the inner surface of the locking ring tapers outwardly to define acircular and tapering sealing surface 22 adjacent the forward endthereof.

The closure cap 21 for the dispensing container carries a dispensingfaucet and an expellant filling and relief valve, generally designatedby the reference numerals 24 and 25, respectively, and is adapted to belocked in fluid sealing relation on the locking ring 14 attached to thedispensing container. The closure cap is generally cylindrica'l and isformed, by stamping, for example, to provide a circular cup-shapedcenter portion 26, an annular and generally vertically extending flangeportion 27 and a rearwa'r'dly projecting annular skirt portion 28. Theouter extremity of the rearwardly projecting skirt portion 28 is punchedinwardly at three equally spaced points about its circumference todefine discontinuous and inwardly projecting the locking elements 29which are adapted to cooperate with the locking flanges 16 of thelocking ring in securing the closure cap to the dispensing container.

Disposed between the annular and outwardly tapering sealing surface 22of the locking ring 14 and a sealing surface 3% defined by the outerperipheral side Wall of the cup-shaped center portion 26 is an annularsealing gasket 31. The annular sealing gasket 31 is of generallyU-shaped construction and has a pair of tapering leg portions 32. Thearrangement is such that the annular sealing gasket 31 provides fluidtight seals between the sealing surface 30 of the closure cap and thetapering sealing surface 22 of the locking ring when the discontinuouslocking elements 29 on the skirt portion 28 of the closure cap engagethe circumferentially spaced locking flanges 16. The various portions17-20 of the locking flanges 16 are adapted to provide a positive fluidtight seal between the closure cap and the dispensing container and alsoto prevent the closure cap from being blown-off at any time during theuse of the apparatus. This arrangement is more fully disclosed in ourco-pending patent application Serial No. 765,590, filed October 6, 1958,

entitled Closure Means for Pressurized Syrup Tanks and the Like. Theclosure cap may be locked to or removed from the beverage container uponproper rotative movement thereof providing, of course, that at least themajor portion of the expellant has been removed from the dispensingcontainer.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, it will be observed that thecup-shaped center portion 26 of the closure cap is punched to define acircular opening 40 and a rearwardly projecting annular rim 4! throughwhich extends the threaded mounting portion 42 of a lower body member 43forming a portion of the dispensing faucet 24. The lower body member :3is preferably molded from nylon plastic and has the integral externallythreaded mounting portion 42 and a tubular portion 46 that projectsforwardly of the cup-shaped center portion 26 of the closure cap. Anannular groove in the periphery of. the mounting portion 42 receives anO-ring 45 to provide a fluid tight seal between the mounting portion 42and the annular rim 4-1. The tubularportion 46 provides an enlargedcavity 47 having connection with an elongated horizontal passage 48 inthe mounting por tion 42. The tubular portion 4-6 is suitably formed toprovide an. annular flange 49 adjacent the upper end thereof and is openat its top. In the bottom wall of the cavity formed by the tubularportion 46 is a tapered valve seat or land Strand depending below thisvalve seat is an integral discharge nozzle 51 having a downwardlyflaring interior passageway 52.

Secured to the top of the lower body member 43 is it an upper bodymember 53 which is provided with a de pending annular extension that.fits within the tubular portion 46 and retains a sealing washer 54 inproper seated relation. The upper body member 53 comprises a downwardlydepending semi-circular projection 55 which extends between the rearwall of the tubular portion 46 of the lower body member 43 and the outerface of the center portion 26 of the closure cap. The rear wall of theupper body member 53 has a curved and rearwardly projecting protuberance56 which is received within a groove 57 formed in the center portion 26of the closure cap. Screws, not shown, are employed to clamp the upperbody member 53 and the lower body member 43 together while theprojection 55 and protuberance 56 maintain the body members 4-3 and 53in properly assembled relation with respect to each other and withrespect to the closure cap.

The upper body member 53 has a vertical bore 69 therein whichslidablyreceives and guides a valve stem 61. Mounted on the lower end of thevalve stem 61 is an annular valving element 62, preferably made ofsynthetic rubber or other suitable resilient material, which coacts withthe valve seat or land Stl of the lower body member 43 as shown. Thesealing washer 49 is provided with an inner O-ring section that fitsabout the valve stem 61 to thereby seal off the top end of the enlargedcavity 47 while yet allowing the valve stem to have vertical slidingmovement. The upward end of the upper body member 53 is formed with aforwardly open mg slot 54 which communicates with the vertical bore 60and pivotally mounted within this slot by means of a clevis 65 is alever 66. The forward end of lever 66 is rigidly attached to a handle6'7 while the rear end thereof 1s formed with a bulbous enlargement 63that is received in a slot formed in the upper portion of valve stem 61.It should be obvious that upon forward and downward movement of thehandle 67 the valve stem 61 will be rarsed to break the seal between thevalving element 62 and the valve seat 55?.

Threadably received on the rearwardly projecting mountlng portion lz ofthe lower body member 43 is an enlarged bell-shaped and internallythreaded forward portion 69 of an elongated mounting'shank 70. Theforward edge of the mounting shank 7d engages the rear edge of theannular rim 41 whereby the dispensing faucet 24 is maintained in tightlyclamped and assembled relation with respect to the closure cap. It willbe noted that an O-ring 71 is received in a groove about the outerperiphery and adjacent the end of the mounting portion 42 of the lowerbody member 43 to provide a fluid tight seal between this mountingportion and the mounting shank 7t].

The rear portion of the mounting shank is of reduced diameter andcomprises an initial entry passageway 73 and an intermediate taperingpassageway 74 whose discharge end is substantially enlarged so that thebeverage in transferring from the passageway 73 to the dispensingfaucet24 will be reduced in velocity sufficiently to enter the valve ina solid slow stream. Immediately to the rear of the bell-shaped forwardportion 69 of the mounting shank 76 is a groove which receives O-ring 76and an elongated annular groove 77 that is adapted to receive a sealingwasher 73. The sealing washer 78 comprises a generally annular radiallyprojecting body portion and a rearwardly extending neck portion and ispreferably molded from a relatively rigid resilient plastic material.The internal opening in the neck portion tapers inwardly to the rearthereof whereby the annular washer may he slipped over the elongated andrelatively small diametered rear portion of the mounting shank 7%) intothe position shown whereby the O-ring 76 provides a seal between thiswasher and the mounting shank 71 It will be observed that the washer 78may be easily inserted over or removed from the mounting shank 7% butyet the annular groove 77 and the dimensions of the resilient washerfirmly maintain the sealing washer in assembled and fluid tight relationwith respect to the mounting shank.

The annular body portion of the sealing washer 78 has welded orotherwise attached thereto in fluid sealing relation the peripheral edgeof an opening in a collapsible bag 79. The collapsible bag 79 iscompletely flexible and is of a capacity which is larger than thecapacity of the dispensing container 14 whereby the bag completely fillsand conforms to the shape of the dispensing container when filled with abeverage to be dispensed. The collapsible bag is fabricated from strongplastic material and is impermeable so that the same defines a removableand replaceable container for the beverage to be dispensed. Also, thecollapsible bag 79 defines a barrier film or pressure exchange membranewhich separates the beverage from the expellant. As will be more fullyapparent, the beverage is contained in the bag while the expellant isadapted to be inserted between the callapsible bag and the dispensingcontainer. A more complete description of the construction andutilization of the collapsible bag 79 is found in our above mentionedco-pending patent application Serial No. 786,422.

Adjacent the rear end of the elongated and relatively small diameteredrear portion of the mounting shank 7d and received within the interiorof the collapsible bag 79 there is a portion of reduced diameter 8% ofrelatively small length dimension which is joined to the other areas ofthe mounting shank by tapering end walls 81. A plurality of radial slots82 extend from the passageway 73 to the outer periphery of the portionof reduced diameter 80. Surrounding the portion of reduced diameter Stlis an elongated and resilient annular band or sleeve 83 whose forwardand rear ends engage the tapering end walls 81. As will be hereinaftermore fully apparent, the resilient annular band or sleeve 83 and theslots 82. define a beverage bypass valve whereby the beverage may beforced into the interior of the collapsible bag 79 at a fast rate offlow.

Communicating with the rear end of the initial entry passageway 73 inthe mounting shank 7% is a restriction conduit 34 of long length and ofsmall cross sectional area. Conduit 84 has precise uniformity ofinternal cross sectional area and extends for an appreciable lengthalthough being completely received within the collapsible bag 79. Theend of the conduit 84 terminates in the collapsible bag at the bottom ofthe dispensing container and may be held there by any suitable meanswhereby all of the beverage in the collapsible bag may be dispensed. Itis the function of the restriction conduit 84 to reduce the pressure ofthe beverage substantially to atmospheric pressure in a gradual andquiescent manner to inhibit any break-out of gas particles entrapped ingas charged beverages. The use of the restricted passageway defined bythe conduit 84 is fully explained in our co-pending patent application,Serial No. 826,958, filed July 14, 1959, and entitled Dispensing Systemfor Carbonated Beverages.

As mentioned previously, the expellant is placed in the dispensingcontainer on the outside of the collapsible bag 79 and the filling andrelief valve 25 is provided for charging the dispensing container withexpel-lant and/ or purging the expellant from the dispensing containerafter the beverage in the collapsible bag has been dispensed to allowremoval of the closure cap. The expellant filling and relief valve,shown in FIGURE 4, comprises a generally T-shaped member 86 which isreceived within an aperture 87 formed in the center portion 26 of theclosure cap. The enlarged end of the T-shaped member 36 abuts the rearedge of an annular rim encircling the aperture 87 and threadablyreceived on the forwardly projecting and integrally threaded end of theT-shaped member as is a valve housing 88. The valve housing 88 isprovided with an enlarged axial bore 89 and has a downwardly dependingnozzle 90 Whose opening 91 communicates with the axial bore 89. TheT-shaped member 87 has a through aperture 92 therein and the upper endof this member is machined to provide a valving land or sent 93.Received within the axial bore 89 of the valve housing 88 is a valvestem 94 which mounts a resilient sealing ring $5 on one end and acup-shaped member 96 on its other end. A compression coil spring 97extends between the inner forward surface of the valve housing 38 andthe cup-shaped member 96 to normally maintain the sealing ring 95 influid tight sealing relation with respect to the valving land 93.

When the sealing land 93 and sealing ring 95 cooperate to effect a fluidtight seal the rear end of the cup'shaped member 96 extends over butdoes not completely block the upper end of the opening 91 in the nozzle9%. The arrangement is such that a suitable expellant conduit 98 whoseend 99 is tapered or cammed as shown may be inserted upwardly into theopening $1 to retract the cupshaped member 96, valve stem 94 and sealingring 95 against the force of the compression coil spring 97. It shouldbe observed that insertion of the tapered or pointed end of theexpellant conduit @3 automatically separates the sealing ring 95 fromthe valving land @3 while removal of this conduit effects automaticclosure of the valve. If the dispensing container is being charged withexpe-llant the expellant conduit 98 would be connected to a suitablesource thereof which would be under pressure. However, if the dispensingcontainer is being purged of the expellant the conduit 98 may lead toatmosphere or, preferably, to reclamation apparatus for recoveringexpellant. It will be noted that fluid tight O-ring seals are providedbetween the Tshaped member and the annular rim encircling the aperture87 as well as between the nozzle and the removable expellant conduit infilling, transporting and using the beverage containers of the presentinvention it is to be expected that the same will be subjected to roughhandling. The closure cap-including the dispensing faucet and theexpellant filling and relief v-a1vemay be damaged and to protect thesame we provide a generally circular chime ring 1%. As will be observed,the chime ring ltld extends almost completely about the closure cap andthe main portion thereof lies in a plane which is disposed forwardly ofthe dispensing faucet and the expellant filling and relief valve as isclearly shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 of the drawing. The inturned ends 161of the chime ring are attached by welding or other convenientattachmerit means to the flange portion 27 of the closure cap while asupporting brace Hi2 extends from the middle of the chime ring to theskirt portion 23 of the closure cap. In this manner the dispensingfaucet and the expellant valve are completely protected at all timesevenwhen the closure cap is removed-by the chime ring ltlti. The chime ringalso serves another very important function in that the forward edge ofthe chime ring defines a flat plane which allows the dispensingcontainers to be stacked. This is particularly important in thattransportation and storage of the dispensing containers is facilitated.

The remaining parts and means of the dispensing apparatus for pro-mixedbeverages of the present invention will perhaps best be understood whendescribed in connection with the intended use thereof. It will beassumed that initially the collapsible bag 79 has been assembled withrespect to the closure cap 21 by inserting the resilient sealing washer'78 over the small diametered rear portion of the mounting shank 70 withthe restriction conduit 84 being completely received within thecollapsible bag 79. The closure cap is now locked to the beveragecontainer by first placing the collapsible bag 79 and the restrictionconduit 84 in the dispensing container and then positioning the closurecap in such a manner that the discontinuous locking elements 29 aredisposed between the circumferentially spaced locking flanges 1d of thelocking ring 14. The closure cap is then rotated in the clockwisedirection to draw the flange portion 27 of the closure cap into firmpressure contact with the upper surface area of the annular sealinggasket 31. The engagement between the closure container.

cap and the annular sealing gasket forces the leg portions 32 of thesealing gasket into initial sealing relation with respect to thegenerally circular sealing surfaces Call and 22 of the closure cap andthe locking ring. The closure cap is rotated until the discontinuouslocking elements engage the stop portions 26 of the locking flanges andit will be noted that at this time the closure cap' is very rigidlyattached to the dispensing container in fluid sealing relation. Thechime ring 190 may, of course, be used as a large hand wheel tofacilitate turning of the closure cap.

To fill the dispensing container with a beverage a conduit, not shown,similar to the expellant conduit 98 is inserted in the opening 91 of thenozzle gti to automatically open the exp'el-lant valve. This conduit isfirst connected to a source of pressurized fluid so that, when thedispensing faucet is open, any residual air in the collapsible bag willbe forced out through the dispensing faucet. Then this conduit may beconnected to suitable valve means, also not shown, whereby the entrappedfluid between the outer wall of the collapsible bag and the dispensingcontainer may be exhausted during the beverage filling operation whileyet maintaining a predetermined back pressure on the beverage.

The nozzle 51 of the dispensing faucet is now connected to a conduit 1%leading to the pumping chamber 167 of a positive displacementpiston-type pump 1%. The pumping chamber 167 is in communication with aconduit 169 leading to a source of the beverage, not shown, and thischamber is adapted to hold a predetermined quantity of the beverage whenthe pumping piston 110 is in its upper or retracted position. Suitablemeans, represented by the arrow 111 are provided for reciprocating thepumping piston 110 whereby upon downward pumping strokes thereof thebeverage in the pumping chamber 167 is forced through the conduit 1% tothe interior passageway 52 of the discharge nozzle 51 of the dispensingfaucet. The beverage then travels past the valving land of seat 56 intothe large cavity 47, along passageways 48, 74 and 73, through the radialslots 82 and about the expanded ends of the resilient band or sleeve 83into the interior of the collapsible bag '79. It will be noted that theannular band 83 and radial slots 82 define a bypass valve whereby thebeverage does not flow through the elongated restriction conduit 84 toallow rapid filling of the collapsible bag 79. The small cross sectionalarea and elongated length of the restriction conduit 84 would veryseriously affect the rate at which the collapsible bag could be filledwith the beverage if the bypass valve were not provided. templated thatthe pumping piston 110 will exert a pressure in the order of sixtypounds per square inch on the beverage in the pumping chamber wherebythe resilient annular band 83 is expanded and the beverage enters thecollapsible bag at a relatively high rate of fiow. The use of a positivedisplacement piston-type pump is particularly advantageous since eachdownward stroke of the pumping piston represents a predetermined andknown quantity of the beverage that is pumped to the beverage Thus, thepump may be so designed that a predetermined number of downward strokesby the pumping piston results in the dispensing container beingautomatically and completely filled with the beverage It is conr withoutthe necessity of ancillary measuring apparatus.

When the collapsible bag '79 has been completely filled with thebeverage the conduit 1% is removed from the nozzle of the dispensingfaucet and this faucet is closed. The expellant conduit 98 is nowinserted in the nozzle of the expellant valve to open the same and apredetermined quantity of expellant is forced through this valve intothe dispensing container. The collapsible bag, as mentioned above, islarger than the interior of the dispensing container whereby the entiredispensing container is filled with the beverage. The expellant ispreferably a gas that condenses substantially at the temperaoutersurface of the collapsible bag and, as the beverage in the collapsiblebag is dispensed, the expellant returns to its original gaseous statethereby maintaining a relatively constant expelling pressure. Any numberof well known gases may be used according to the properties required forany given beverage, such as propane gas, sulfur dioxide, metal chloride,butane and the various Freon-type expellants, for example.

The expellant conduit is disconnected and the dispensing container isshipped to the point of ultimate use. The dispensing container may be sodesigned as to be received in the average home refrigerator and todispense a drink it is only necessary to move the handle 57 dowrywardly. The expellant will cause the beverage to flow through therestriction conduit 84 and out the discharge opening 52 as is explainedin our above mentioned application Serial No. 826,958. Since thebeverage is at substantially atmospheric pressure when the same isadjacent the slots 82 the pressure of the beverage remaining in thecollapsible bag and the expeilant, along with the inherent resiliency ofthe resilient band 33, will maintain the beverage bypass valve closed atall times except during beverage filling operations. The pressure of theexpellant and the beverage will also force the leg portions 32 of theannular sealing gasket 31 into very tight sealing relation with thecontiguous sealing s rfaces 3% and 22 on the closure cap and lockingring whereby the closure cap may not be removed. Since the expellant isnever in direct contact with the beverage, the same always remains in afresh and palatable condition regardless of how often the beverage isdispenscd. This is particularly important in that it allows the beverageto be packaged in a bull: container as herein described for home andother uses with a minimum of expense and without the necessity of thecomplicated and expensive dispensing systems of the prior art.

While it is intended that the beverage container will be cooled bymechanical refrigeration means in most instances, such means are oftenunavailable and ice'rnay be employed for cooling the beverage byproviding an ice tray 113 as shown in FIGURE 7 of the drawing. The icetray 113 extends about the upper peripheral surface of the beveragecontainer and is filled with ice. This arrangement is particularlyadvantageous since an expellant of the type above described becomes anexcellent heat exchange medium for cooling the entire volume of thebeverage in the. collapsible bag. Thus, the liquefied expellant liesnear the bottom of the beverage container and as the same is heated itchanges to a gaseous state and rises upwardly into the upper portion ofthe dispensing container. The gaseous expellant in the upper portion ofthedispensing container adjacent the ice tray 113 is cooled by the iceuntil the same condenses or changes into the liquid state and falls backdown into the bottom portion of the disv pensing container. As thecondensed expellant returns to the bottom of the dispensing containerthe entire mass of the beverage in the collapsible bag is cooled. Theexpellant provides a highly efiicient and continuous heat exchange meansfor cooling the beverage.

After the beverage has been completely dispensed the container isreturned. tothe plant where the expellant is purged from the interior ofthe container by the'use of the expellant conduit 98. The expellant ispreferably reclaimed forreuse. After purging the closure cap may beremoved by turning the same in a counterclockwise direction and itshould be noted that the portions 17443 of the locking flanges 15 on thelocking ring 14 prevent the closure cap from being blown off during theremoval thereof. With the closure cap detachedfrom the dispensingcontainer the collapsible bag may be removed and the entire closure capcleaned. The collapsible bag may also be cleaned or may be thrown awaydepending 9 upon the relative costs involved. A collapsible bag isassembled with respect to the closure cap, the closure cap is locked tothe dispensing container and the dispensing container is again ready tobe filled with a beverage.

It should thus be apparent that we have accomplished the objectsinitially set forth by providing highly improved and simplifieddispensing apparatus for pro-mixed beverages. Although there has beendisclosed an illustrated embodiment of the invention it should beunder-stood that many changes may be made therein without departing fromthe true scope and intent of the invention. Accordingly, referenceshould be had to the following appended claims.

We claim:

1. Dispensing apparatus comprising a container, a collapsible bagreceived within said container and defining first and second expandablechambers separated by said collapsible bag, said first chamber beingadapted to hold a fluid to be dispensed, said second chamber beingadapted to hold a pressurized expellant, expellant valve meanscommunicating with said second chamber, said expellant valve meanscomprising a housing, said housing having an axial bore therein, aradially projecting nozzle communicating with said axial bore, a valvingland in said axial bore, a valve stem, said valve stem comprising asealing land adapted to cooperate with said valving land to seal saidaxial passageway, means biasing said valve stem whereby said axialpassageway is normally closed, said valve stem further comprising valveoperating means normally overlying the gretaer portion of said nozzle,and said valve stem being forced outwardly against said biasing meanswhen a tapered expellant conduit is inserted into said nozzle andengages said operating means.

2. Apparatus for transporting and dispensing beverages comprising acontainer adapted to receive the beverage to be dispensed, saidcontainer having a wide-mouth opening therein, a quick-detachableclosure cap for said opening having a recess in its centrally disposedportion, a dispensing faucet mounted on the bottom wall of said recesspartially received within said recess and having an opening therethroughcommunicating with the space within said container, said faucet having adispensing nozzle and an operating handle, a protective guard mounted onthe exterior of said cap radially outward of said recess and projectingoutwardly from said nozzle and said handle on either side thereof touprotect the same, said dispensing faucet comprising a body memberhaving a shouldered mounting shank, said bottom wall of said recesshaving an inwardly flanged opening therein to receive said shank,sealing means between said shank and said flange, and means positionedwithin said container and engaging the inner end portion of said shankto secure said shank in said flanged opening.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 further characterized in that saidbottom wall of said recess is provided with an indentation radiallyoutward of said opening, and said body member of said faucet having aprotuberance lying in said indentation to prevent rotation of said bodymember about the axis of said opening.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 further characterized in that saidmeans engaging the inner end of said shank comprises a tubular memberhaving a longitudinal bore 1G therethrough, an annular groove in theouter surface of said tubular member, an aperture in the sidewall ofsaid tubular member communicating with said groove, and a generallytubular resilient and yieldable sleeve lying in said groove and normallysealing elf said aperture but operative to lift off the radially outerend of said aperture when fluid pressure in said bore exceeds fluidpressure surrounding said tubular member.

5. Apparatus for transporting and dispensing carbonated beveragescomprising a container having a collapsible bag therein to receive thebeverage and to provide a second chamber in the container to receive agaseous expellant whereby the beverage may be maintained under pressureand be dispensed from said bag under pressure, a dispensing faucetcarried by said container and having an operating handle and adispensing nozzle positioned outside of said container and also having amounting shank with a bore therethrough extending into said bag, aflexible elongated and small diametered tube positioned within said bagand connected at one end with the inlet end of the bore through saidshank whereby the beverage may be conducted to said faucet and whereinthe pressure of the beverage may be reduced substantially to atmosphericpressure as it flows through said elongated tube and to said dispensingfaucet, said shank having an aperture in its side wall to provide directcommunication between the bore in said shank and the space in said bag,a check valve for said aperture to allow passage of beverage directlyfrom said bore into said space while restraining passage in the oppositedirection, and means for charging beverage under pressure into said bagcomprising a positive displacement pump and a conduit connecting theoutlet of said pump with said nozzle, the arrangement being such thatupon actuation of said pump and opening of said dispensing valvebeverage may be conducted directly into said bore and through said checkvalve directly into said bag in bypassing relation with respect to saidelongated tube.

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1. DISPENSING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONTAINER, A COLLAPSIBLE BAGRECEIVED WITHIN SAID CONTAINER AND DEFINING FIRST AND SECOND EXPANDABLECHAMBERS SEPARATED BY SAID COLLAPSIBLE BAG, SAID FIRST CHAMBER BEINGADAPTED TO HOLD A FLUID TO BE DISPENSED, SAID SECOND CHAMBER BEINGADAPTED TO HOLD A PRESSURIZED EXPELLANT, EXPELLANT VALVE MEANSCOMMUNICATING WITH SAID SECOND CHAMBER, SAID EXPELLANT VALVE MEANSCOMPRISING A HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN AXIAL BORE THEREIN, ARADIALLY PROJECTING NOZZLE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID AXIAL BORE, A VALVINGLAND IN SAID AXIAL BORE, A VALVE STEM, SAID VALVE STEM COMPRISING ASEALING LAND ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID VALVING LAND TO SEAL SAIDAXIAL PASSAGEWAY, MEANS BIASING SAID VALVE STEM WHEREBY SAID AXIALPASSAGEWAY, MEANS BIASING SAID VALVE SAID VALVE STEM FURTHER COMPRISINGVALVE OPERATING MEANS NORMALLY OVERLYING THE GREATER PORTION OF SAIDNOZZLE, AND SAID VALVE STEM BEING FORCED OUTWARDLY AGAINST SAID BIASINGMEANS WHEN A TAPERED EXPELLANT CONDUIT IS INSERTED INTO SAID NOZZEL ANDENGAGES SAID OPERATING MEANS.